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2020 U.S presidential election (Porvenir)
The 2020 U.S presidential election was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. California Senator and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris defeated incumbent Republican President Donald J. Trump, and former Minnesota Governor and Green Party candidate Jesse Ventura. The primary issues of the campaign were immigration reform, the ongoing financial crisis, and Russo-American relations. Kamala Harris was the first female President, as well as the first Indian- and Asian-American President. Background The Donald Trump administration was arguably the most tumultuous Presidential tenure in decades. Thanks to multiple resignations/terminations of cabinet members, in addition to accusations of a extramarital affair by pornographic actress Stormy Daniels, President Trump was viewed as quite vulnerable, with approval ratings dipping below 30% by the time of the election. Neoliberal Democrats had also led a charge accusing Trump of "colluding" with the Russian government in order to seal his victory, leading to a probe now known as the Mueller Investigation. The investigation was a colossal failure, producing no solid evidence over its three year lifespan. In 2018, the GOP lost control of the U.S House of Representatives in the year's "Blue Wave" Democratic fervor, further energizing the DNC, and winning more support to their efforts to defeat Trump. When an economic recession hit in the fourth quarter of 2019, the incumbent President, for the first time in decades, was considered the underdog. Nominations Democratic Party nomination Democratic candidates * Kamala Harris (56), U.S Senator from California (Nominee) * Bernie Sanders (79), U.S Senator from Vermont * Cory Booker (51), U.S Senator from New Jersey * Elizabeth Warren (71), U.S Senator from Massachusetts * Tulsi Gabbard (39), U.S Representative from Hawaii * Kirsten Gillibrand (53), U.S Senator from New York * Julián Castro (45), former U.S Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from Texas * Joe Biden (77), former U.S Vice President from Delaware * Bernie Sanders (79), U.S Senator from Vermont * Jay Inslee (69), Governor of Washington State * John Hickenlooper (68), former Governor of Colorado * Beto O'Rourke (48), former U.S Representative from Texas * Andrew Yang (45), businessman from New York * Steve Bullock (54), Governor of Montana * Amy Klobuchar (60), U.S Senator from Minnesota * Pete Buttigieg (38), Mayor of South Bend, Indiana * John Delaney (57), former U.S Representative from Maryland * Bill Richardson (72), former Governor of New Mexico * Tim Ryan (47), U.S Representative from Ohio * Richard Ojeda (50), State Senator from West Virginia Kamala.jpg|U.S Senator Kamala Harris of California (Nominee) Corybooker.png|U.S Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey Warren 2020-2.jpg|U.S Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts Tulsi Gabbard, official portrait, 113th Congress.jpg|U.S Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii SenatorGillibrandpic.jpg|U.S Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York Julián Castro's Official HUD Portrait.jpg|Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro of Texas JoeBidenAgedByPhojoedotcom.png|Former Vice President Joe Biden of Delaware GovernorHickenlooper.jpg|Former Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado Beto.jpeg|Former U.S Representative Beto O'Rourke of Texas PeteButtigieg.jpg|Mayor Pete Buttigieg of Indiana AndrewYang.jpg|Businessman Andrew Yang of New York Stevebullock.jpg|Governor Steve Bullock of Montana File:220px-Amy_Klobuchar.jpg|U.S Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota John Delaney .jpg|Former U.S Representative John Delaney of Maryland Richardson.jpg|Former Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico RichardOjeda.jpg|Former State Senator Richard Ojeda of West Virginia The 2020 Democratic primary was a hard fought contest between numerous candidates. Hillary Clinton's sound defeat in the 2016 presidential election left the Democratic Party leaderless. Thanks to a "civil war" for Party dominance between Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's Neoliberals and 2016 runner-up Bernie Sanders' Progressives, 2020 wasn't the proverbial slam-dunk Democrats had hoped for, despite President Trump's unpopularity. At first, there were three candidates who were considered the most viable. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren was one of the first candidates to enter the race, and quickly attempted to obtain the majority of progressive support. While her poll numbers were initially high, most Berniecrats refused to accept her for her prior support for Hillary Clinton. When Sanders himself announced his run, many of his supporters would continue to support despite endorsing Hillary Clinton in 2016, he appealed to voters as "America's Grandpa". New Jersey Senator Cory Booker ran on issues considered important to the African-American community, and thus carried the majority of their support. Former Vice President Joe Biden garnered Neoliberal and establishment support, but was also firmly rejected by progressives due to his history of support for imperialist and anti-drug policies. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was viewed with interest, but like Warren, was also plagued by the ghost of Clinton's campaign. Other candidates included former U.S Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro and former New Mexico Governor and 2008 presidential candidate Bill Richardson who fought over Hispanic, particularly, Chicano voters. The two even had a heated exchange over social media on who had better served Hispanics over the course of their careers. Montana Governor Steve Bullock also ran as the "reasonable centrist". After an unfortunate gaffe during the New Hampshire debate concerning the right to bear arms however, his support collapsed. California Senator Kamala Harris was viewed as a dark-horse candidate. Many felt she didn't have a strong enough base to defeat her Democratic rivals, while others were reticent to support her due to her initial opposition to Medicare for all. Before the Iowa caucus, she narrowly qualified for the main, prime time debate. It naturally came as a great shock when she put on an exceptional performance at said debate, and her fundraising efforts exploded as a result. Those who had doubted Harris were then floored again when she carried Iowa over Warren and Booker. In New Hampshire, Booker was able to win the fight for Northeastern Democrats, while Harris topped Warren in another shock. During the South Carolina debate between Harris, Warren, Booker, Gillibrand, and Castro, Harris was asked a question concerning immigration and the racism she had faced at the hands of Trump and his supporters. She eloquently responded by saying that despite all of Americas faults, the biggest thing she loved about the country was it's heritage of embracing immigrants. In her conclusion, she said that she found hope in her belief that the majority of Americans weren't so hateful. After the debate, Harris went on to carry the blue-dog state of South Carolina in a landslide. That week, Harris graced the cover of TIME Magazine beneath a title that read, "Living Proof that America is More Than Ready for a Female President". Having failed to carry any of the first three states, Warren dropped out, leaving Booker as Harris's main opposition. On Super Tuesday, Harris carried 7 states, while Booker carried 4. Some speculated the race could come down to a floor fight between Harris and Booker at the Convention. The Booker campaign was however unfortunately grounded prematurely when a scandal concerning campaign finances came out in March, and Booker was forced to withdraw, basically crowning Harris as the nominee. Harris gave a speech in California graciously thanking Brown for his long career of service to California and America. At the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Harris was successfully nominated. Harris chose Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego as her running mate. Green Party nomination Green candidates * Jesse Ventura (69), former Governor of Minnesota (nominee) * Cheri Honkala (57), activist from California * Kent Mesplay (58), perennial candidate from California * Dario Hunter (36-37), rabbi from Ohio JesseVentura1.jpg|Former Governor Jesse Ventura of Minnesota (Nominee) Cheri Honkala.jpg|Activist Cheri Honkala of California Kmesplay.jpg|Perrenial candidate Kent Mesplay of California DarioHunter.jpg|Rabbi Dario Hunter of Ohio The scandal surrounding Hillary Clinton's reported manipulation of the 2016 Democratic primary left many Democrats feeling disenfranchised. That, coupled with the birth of the Second Progressive Era ''' gave the Greens a never before seen opportunity. Former Reform Party Minnesota Governor '''Jesse Ventura ran for the Green nomination, helming a campaign focused on non-interventionism, environmental concerns, drug legalization, and racial discrimination. Ventura was welcomed by the Greens over several gadflies overwhelmingly. Ventura chose 2008 Green nominee and former Democratic Congresswoman from Georgia Cynthia McKinney as his running mate. The two were nominated at the convention in Portland with no issue. Republican Party nomination Republican candidates * Donald J. Trump (74), U.S President from New York (Nominee) * Bill Weld (75), former Governor of Massachusetts Donald Trump official portrait-2.jpg|U.S President Donald J. Trump of New York (Nominee) Billweld.jpeg|Former Governor Bill Weld of Massachusetts Aside from his unpopularity among the general populace, President Trump also faced resistance within his own Party. Rather than assimilate with the alt-right, the "Never-Trumpers" of 2016 were instead emboldened. Several candidates were floated to primary Trump, including former U.S Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Florida Governor JEB Bush, and even Trump's own Secretary of Defense John Mattis. In the end, three Republicans from the moderate wing of the party attempted to regain control of their party with Former Massachusetts Governor and 2016 Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee Bill Weld. Trump and Weld took part in one debate in which Weld slammed the President for his racism towards Hispanics and Muslims, as well as for maintaining friendly relations with "America's enemies" (Russia and North Korea). Countering, Trump criticized Weld for supposedly weakening American security by supporting "open borders" and the abolition of ICE. Despite Weld's best efforts, the Republican Party was still very much under the influence of ultra conservatives, and Trump controlled the primary. Weld's best performance was in Iowa, but nevertheless, he didn't end up carrying a single state. At the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump and Vice President Chris Christie were renominated. Violent riots erupted in Charlotte on the last night of the convention, with Antifa and Black Lives Matter leading protesters against Trump's nomination. General Election Campaign Going into the general election campaign, Harris was viewed as the decided favorite. Nevertheless, Democratic and anti-Trump activists were still reeling from Clinton's wide lead going into November 2016, and thus campaigned vigorously on Harris' behalf all the same. Notable surrogates for Harris included former President Barack Obama, writer and future President Diego Braun, gun violence advocate David Hogg, and many former and incumbent members of Congress from both sides of the aisle. The campaign got off to a nasty start when President Trump sent out a tweet widely considered sexist. Trump fervently denied any perceived sexism, defending his use of the term "hysterical" to describe Harris, a term used to demean women in years gone by. Unfortunately for the President, the damage had been done, and any remaining support among independents and women collapsed. At the third and final presidential debate, Trump lost his composure and launched into an angry rant against Harris and working class voters who had "betrayed him". The majority of Americans polled after the debate said the rant hurt Trump's credibility. Results Harris defeated Trump by a comfortable margin in both the electoral and popular votes. She was the first Democrat to win Arizona since Bill Clinton in 1996, and the first to win North Carolina since Barack Obama in 2008. Category:Scenario: Porvenir Category:US Elections 2020 Category:Elections (Porvenir) Category:United States of America